#couser

Taking a Sunday drive with the whole family #daytrip #sandiego #roadtrip #sundaydrive #sandiego #california

When I was a kid, we’d go for a drive on Sunday and here’s one of the places we went… north of Escondido in the back roads paralleling Interstate 15.

My Crazy Couser trip is a combination of some of the drives our family used to take from San Diego, but also a road added at the recommendation of locals.

It starts at the Deer Park Winery and Auto Museum. It makes for a great family day trip.

Head to the cool and solitude of the mountains this weekend

Tomorrow’s San Diego Union-Tribune column is a new take on one of my favorite drives, through the avocado and citrus groves, ranches and hills of the DeLuz area north of Fallbrook.

If you can’t wait for the new Weekend Driver in your Sunday paper, check out any of my other mountain drives. A similar trip is the Crazy Couserbook on Amazon Kindle. It’s $2.99—or free for Amazon Prime members— which…

Visit a spectacular canyon in the desert, take a dirt road up a mountain or twist through hills and farm country… the decision on where you go is up to you, but the journey is courtesy the Joyride Guru.

San Diego writer Jack Brandais has taken technology for a ride in his new Joyride Guru series, which is highlighting some of the best roads in San Diego County that he’s driven since 2000 with readers of the San Diego Union-Tribune and his 2003 book, Weekend Driver San Diego.

The drives are expanded and heavily revised from the “Weekend Driver” columns in the San Diego Union-Tribune and include a map, turn-by-turn directions, links to websites of attractions along the way and other popular features from Weekend Driver San Diego.

The first eight drives of the Joyride Guru series are now online and can be downloaded for just $2.99 each for Kindle and Kindle apps, which run on most smart phones and tablets. They are:

Beautiful Badlands: Drive from the ocean to the desert, through the city, mountains, and the desert town of Borrego Springs, ending at Fonts Point for spectacular views of San Diego County’s unique ecosystem.

Crazy Couser: Scary curves make inland North County run one of San Diego’s best. It’s a twisting, curving 20-mile route that parallels Interstate 15 from just outside Escondido north to Pala Road. It requires careful and attentive driving along roads that are narrow with blind driveways and hairpin curves. There are frequent stretches where the road has little or no shoulder, as well as encroachment by everything from trees to boulders to guardrails.

Curves, Dirt and Cuyamaca: Enjoy a 45-mile loop in the central portion of the Laguna Mountains in eastern San Diego County through natural open space and Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Includes challenging curves on SR-79 through Cuyamaca, 18 miles of public, unpaved road; all-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive recommended. It’s a must for anyone who lives or visits San Diego County.

Off the Grid Journey: Take a trip on an easy, off-pavement drive on the western edge of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, good for off-road novices with all-wheel-drive vehicles. Spectacular desert vistas along 8-mile driving route in sand.

Jaunt to Julian: The classic San Diego day trip is the drive to Julian, elevation 4,200 feet. Generations have enjoyed this former gold-mining town’s old-time charm and character, as well as its apple pie. The area also has some of the most enjoyable roads in the region.

Journey to the Stars: Wander up Palomar Mountain in northern San Diego County via two twisting paved roads or a historic dirt byway. Route passes a historic mission, an open-space park, agricultural areas, and casinos.

Quintessential California: Get off of Interstate 5 and enjoy a drive through the coastal communities of Oceanside, Carlsbad, Leucadia, Encinitas, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Solana Beach, Del Mar, and Torrey Pines. It’s been thrilling drivers since before there were automobiles.

Towering Old Highway: The well-preserved former U.S. 80 in eastern San Diego County has all the charms of driving on an old country highway. Generally devoid of traffic, it has gentle curves with spectacular vistas in terrain ranging from high desert to mountain pines to California coastal hills. Desert View Tower is a must-see that isn’t like anything on Route 66.

To find all the Joyride Guru books, visit Jack’s author page at Amazon.com.

Palomar Observatory is the destination in the Journey to the Stars Kindle book trip.

Take the challenge on Couser Canyon Road in the Crazy Couser Kindle book trip.

Donuts at VG Bakery in Cardiff. On the Quintessential California Kindle book trip.